The Art of Kissing
by akiismarina
Summary: "You know a kiss is good when... you hear moaning, and it takes a minute to realize it's coming from you" A rewrite of my story "What Makes a Kiss Good" Now multi-chapter and expanded. Hope you like it.
1. Prolog

Hermione adored the Weasleys. Really and truly. The Burrow felt like home because they were there to fill it. So when her last roommate, a flaky young witch with a penchant for falling in love far too often, declared she'd finally 'found the one' and that he would be moving in, Hermione quickly elected to move out. She'd witnessed this cycle far too many times. Last time she arrived home right in the middle of the breakup and found herself the unintended target of a wicked Bat-Boogey Hex that nearly put Ginny to shame. She'd planned to call in a few favors and couch surf until she found a new place… until Mrs. Weasley heard she'd moved out. It had only taken the family a couple of hours to gather all her belongings and move her back home. Over a year later and she was no closer to finding a new place of her own. She simply couldn't find the time, and there wasn't very much in her price range close enough to her parents. She'd even tried searching muggle apartments a few times without an ounce of luck.

Despite the love and gratitude she felt for the family, there was no denying that it could be hard for a young woman to live in a house comprised nearly entirely of men. Back during their school days it wasn't so bad. The then lonely, self-conscious girl found a second family she never knew she desired. Even being surrounded by rambunctious boys was fun. However, now pushing thirty, it could sometimes be taxing being surrounded by men. There was an instinctive habit of suppressing some of her more feminine tendencies.

Not that she felt pressured to do so. In fact, the last time she inadvertently hinted at it she quickly regretted it. Most of the household stared at her with the same expression on their faces as when she finally tried to explain to Mr. Weasely what the purpose of a rubber duck was. Within days the house had been filled with so many flowers, her nose still itched at the memory. Mrs. Weasely's homemade chocolate began appearing all over the house. Including once in the bathroom. It was delicious. One time Harry actually stopped and asked her if she needed "you know… womanly supply… things". She had no idea either of them could turn so red as she assured him she was fully stocked. And yes, she was aware he meant "menstrual supplies", thank you. Thankfully, Ginny put an end to it all when she caught the twins about to paint half her room pink for Hermione. "She doesn't even like pink you idiots!"

As horrid as that week had been, it was still one of her favorite memories. She adored her second family so much, and always felt guilty for staying with them for so long but that week made her feel more love than she'd felt in a long time. It gave her tangible proof that she wasn't as much of a burden as she often feared. Living in the male dominated Burrow wasn't all bad. Up until recently it'd only been herself, Ron, Harry and sometimes Percy as full time residents with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny came home just a few months ago for the off season with the Harpies. And after an incident of undisclosed nature in their apartment, the twins had moved back in just a few weeks ago. But Ginny had a fairly active social calendar as well as her relationship with Harry, so she was often in and out of the house. Even though they shared a room, Hermione often felt she only saw the littlest ginger in passing. And to be honest, the boys had much bigger, more outgoing personalities than her. So it could get stifling at times.

Fortunately, she and Ginny had found a cure, as well as a way to make sure they got quality time together. They decided to steal Saturday mornings for themselves. Early Saturdays, when the sun had barely begun to rise. They always came together and shared a breakfast they'd made themselves in the few hours the house remained quiet and still. Recently, Luna had been joining them as well, privately overjoyed to share the time with her first and best of girlfriends. It was their secret sanctuary, and Hermione's favorite time of the week.

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 _Note: Please see my profile for_ _explanation of rewrite and hiatus_


	2. Chapter One

Hermione shook her head as she sat at the kitchen table, unable to suppress her grin as she listened to Ginny snark playfully about Luna's overly bright dressing robe.

"Seriously Lune," Ginny continued her tirade as she levitated the largest pile of French Toast known the Wizard-kind to the table. Not missing a beat she piled her plate high. "It's like the entire world's population of Birds of Paradise got together and superglued their molted feathers to a bolt of fabric in a personal attack on fashion." She plopped into her chair and stuffed half a French Toast in her mouth with surprising grace.

Hermione chuckled softly and piled a second plate not quite as high with the still steaming food. She passed it over to Luna's place setting, grinning again at the subtle smirk on Luna's face. It was tradition for Luna to dress ridiculously bright and colorful, even more so than usual, at their secret breakfasts to rile up the youngest Weasely. The tradition began almost as soon as Luna began to join them, and was a playful show of love between the two that never failed to amuse Hermione.

There was a moment of silence as Hermione fixed her own plate of food and Luna placed a fresh pot of tea on the table. They both quickly fixed their French Toast with butter and syrup and, much to Hermione and Ginny's disbelief, Luna added a generous helping of Vegimite to hers. Every once in a while, her school nickname Looney Luna reigned true. Finally, they began to eat in earnest, Hermione and Ginny carefully avoiding looking at Luna's plate. It wasn't long until their companionable silence was broken, and conversation quickly turned to its usual topic. Boys.

"What about you Hermione," Luna asked as Hermione pushed away her empty plate and savoured her tea. "Who was your best kiss ever?"

* * *

Fred groaned softly, rolled over, and promptly fell out of the bed he'd outgrown over a decade ago. He let out a half-chuckled moan of pain as he slowly lifted himself from the cold floor.

"Alright there Freddie," George's sleep filled voice barely broke the silence of the room.

"Yeah Georgie, go back to sleep," Fred whispered. It was doubtful George even heard him, having fallen back to sleep so quickly.

Fred stretched slowly, luxuriating in the pleasurable play of tension releasing moving down the length of his body to his toes. Dropping out of school had turned out to be the best life-choice he and George had made to-date. Not only had they opened their joke shoppe with unprecedented success, but they'd been able to afford moving into an apartment above the shoppe and live quite comfortably. Being constantly on the move for work and the simulating challenge of creating new products had done wonders for the men. They'd matured, no longer landing themselves in trouble every week. Now just over thirty, they were well-respected members of their community. There had even been a few times they overheard witches saying they hoped their own troublemaking kids turn out as well as the Weasley twins had.

The thought of their luck in life passed through his head as Fred eyed the too small bed. He wouldn't change his childhood or home for anything in the world. But despite the seemingly elastic walls of the Burrow, even he had to admit there were times that it could feel a little too packed. It was barely dawn, but he knew there was no way he'd be able to fall back asleep after that rude of an awakening. Maybe he'd take advantage of the uncommonly still house and enjoy some time to himself. Yawning a little, he grabbed a white tee-shirt and pulled it on on his way out the door. He expertly tiptoed down the stairs, retying the draw strings on his pajama pants. A spot of tea would remedy the remainder of his early morning grogginess. And maybe a leftover scone if he could scrounge one up. Hopefully Ron hadn't nicked them all already.

A yawn overtook him as he meandered down the hall. A hand slide under her shirt to scratch the far side of his toned stomach; it rumbled under his hand, producing a good-natured grin and a promise to feed it soon. Just as he was about to enter the kitchen, the sound of female voices and giggles slowed him down; ending in a dead halt as he heard Luna's question. Rather than announce his presence, he found himself silently waiting for Hermione's answer, strangely curious for it.

* * *

"Hmmm…." Hermione's pensive sip of tea became deeper as she though over the question. "I think… it depends on how you interpret a kiss's quality. I mean… how can you truly know if a kiss is actually good or not?"

Fred stared at the wall horrified as a shocked silence feel over the room. He couldn't believe no one had bothered to kiss the bookworm of a war hero senseless, the way she so obviously deserved. It made him ashamed to share the label of the male gender with these beings. No true man kissed a woman without making sure to leave her quivering and dreaming of it later that night. Thankfully, his sister's voice drew him from his quickly devolving line of thought.

"You know a kiss is good when... You hear moaning and it takes a minute to realize its coming from you," she explained as Luna nodded in agreement. In the hall Fred found himself enthusiastically nodding as well. It took him perhaps a moment too long to realize he should be pissed that his baby sister was so well versed in the art of snogging. He paused a moment at that thought and shrugged. He'd worry about Ginny later. After George woke up and they could plot together.

"Does that actually happen?" Hermione's skeptical voice drew him back into the conversation. Her obvious disbelief made him scowl, shaking his head.

"Of course! You can't very well go about planning when and how to moan," Luna finally spoke up. There was a sudden, heavy silence in the air, punctuated by the sound of Ginny's palm violently smacking her forehead, followed closely by Luna's soft voice. "Oh… Oh my…"

It took Fred's brain a moment to catch up. More a testament to his natural attention to his partner during intimacy that any masculine short-comings. When realization did finally strike, he reflexively clapped a hand over his mouth to halt the scandalized, angry shout. This wouldn't do. Wouldn't do at all.

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	3. Chapter Two

_A very special thank you to my new pseudo Beta, and best_ _friend, Lolo for helping me rewrite this chapter countless times. Love ya Sis._

* * *

Wisely choosing not to disturb the girls' breakfast, Fred instead opted to clear his head with a long, brutal run followed by a scorching hot shower to relieve remaining ache in his muscles. It was his own little piece of heaven. His mind inevitably cast back to earlier that day, replaying the overheard conversation that continued to boggle his mind. Hermione was one of the most amazing women he'd ever met, it was a surprise she was single much less never properly snogged.

Unbidden images of their school days together filled his mind. More specifically, thoughts surrounding her lips; she had a tendency to bite them when she was reading. His all to creative mind taking over, he began picturing how it'd be to distract her from one of those book and nibble her lips for himself.

He furrowed his brow as he tried to dry off with the now damp towel. He'd first noticed her back in Hogwarts, before the Yule ball, when all the others finally saw the beauty under those curls. But that was just it. Only an appreciation for her beauty. And intelligence. And loyal… kindness… courage…

"Bloody hell," he groaned yanking his fingers through is overly long hair. This was really bad.

* * *

The house was slowly beginning to show signs of awakening, and George was blissfully in the lands between awake and asleep.

"Wakey, wakey Georgie," his brother's singsong voice barely broke through the haze. His still addled mind procured an image of a massive orange cat, purring as it sipped a coffee, calling to him with his brother's voice. His brows furrowed in his sleep as he observed the cat drinking the coffee with extended pinkies. It wasn't even holding the cup though…

Trying to decipher just how the cat was able to extend its pinky… do cats even have pinkies… George remained blissfully unaware of the world around himself.

All of the sudden he was suffocating and couldn't see a thing!

* * *

Fred chuckled as George finally woke with a snort and flailing limbs, topped off with a muffled curse as he fell out of bed. George's head popped up, still covered with his wet towel. He huffed and violently yanked the towel from his head to shoot a lethal glare at his twin. Already used to George's morning moodiness, Fred ignored him; there were more important things at hand. Just to be safe though, he quickly removed his now nude body from the immediate vicinity in favor of digging out something to wear from the dresser.

"Cold Freddie?" George snarked, slowly dragging himself off the floor. He sluggishly straightened the sheets on his bed, still giving serious thought to crawling back in it instead.

"Not at all oh reflection of mine," Fred shot back with ease knowing it'd take Zombie-Georgie a bit to catch the subtle returned insult.

George sat on the side of his bed to pull on his socks, intent on protecting his feet from the cool floor before dressing. He looked up and watched as Fred pulled on his jumper. First on both inside out and backwards. Then, after a hissed curse, only inside out. His amused grin quickly yielded to wide eyed horror as Fred turned to leave the room. Still nude from the waist down. He leapt across the room to slam the door shut as Fred pulled it open. "Bloody hell Fred. Sheath your wand," he hissed. Fred looked at him like _he_ was the crazy one. "PANTS!"

"Fucking shit," Fred stared down at himself. George threw a pair of jeans at him.

"Jumper…" He reminded as he quickly dressed himself.

"I'm already wearing one," Fred rolled his eyes.

"I noticed," George rolled his eyes back. "I've heard that wearing them right side out has become rather fashionable recently though."

Fred growled low in his chest and tore off the jumper, throwing it roughly to the corner. He glared petulantly at it, his mind obviously miles away.

"Cloned," George used their safe word without hesitation. With practiced ease, they moved their nightstand to the far side of the room, and pushed their beds together. They silently climbed onto the beds and laid on their backs, side by side. It was a much tighter fit than when they were kids, but neither minded. After a moment of continued silence, George more sensed than felt some of the tension leave his brother's body. As always in the past, the caller of the safe word draped his ankle over the other's, indicating a readiness to speak. Or in this case, listen.

"Did you know the girls sneak off for early breakfast sometimes?" Fred began.

* * *

"Huh," was all George said when Fred finished. He'd known about Fred's crush on Hermione for years, even if the dolt never caught on himself. The poor bastard was always eyeing girls with hair that curled like hers, or the same color. More than once he'd broken things off because a girl said she didn't like to read even though he hardly read himself. It was about time the idiot started to realize his own feelings. He'd been worried after Hermione and Ron's brief relationship that Fred would remain in denial for good.

"So, what are you going to do about it," he finally asked, determined to give Fred a little push, or shove, in the right direction. There was no doubt Hermione would be a perfect match to balance out Fred. And he was confident there wasn't a man on earth who treat Hermione better.

"What?" Fred turned his head to shoot his twin a confused look.

"Well…" George hesitated. He couldn't very well command his brother to go snog the literal pants of the girl he considered a second little sister. It sounded too weird. "Why not show her a proper kiss?" he finally ventured cautiously. Fred immediately shot up in bed and turned to look at him, his face unreadable.

* * *

Hermione bent her head and cut her lamb chop to unnecessarily small bits as she slowly raised her eyes and looked through her lashes across the table. He was staring again. She took a slow, deep breath and focused on not missing her mouth as she took a bite. Her face felt hot and she was too distracted hoping she wasn't blushing to enjoy the food. From the moment they all sat down for lunch, she felt as though she were being watched. The hairs were standing on end on the back on her neck a chill kept running down her spine. She had to fight back a shiver a few times. After a few covert glances, she'd finally found the source. And was starting to wish she hadn't. His gazes were getting harder to ignore and she couldn't figure out the reason behind it. It took all her self-control to not spin in her seat and see if there was there was something behind her.

* * *

George kicked Fred hard under the table hard enough to bruise, satisfied to see him flinch on impact. "Stop staring," he cautioned in a barely audible whisper, his lips hardly moving.

"I'm not staring," he hissed back finally tearing his eyes away from Hermione. Georgie's question had thrown him through a loop. Just imagine… him and Hermione… it was insane. He'd never admit it but now watching that fork slide between her lips with every bite was too hypnotic, and it was all George's fault. George seemingly read his mind and flashed an innocent grin, the mischievous twinkle in his eye making Fred's eyes narrow suspiciously.

A loud screech ended the silent exchange and drew everyone's attention making them all look up to see Pig zoom in through the open window and straight at the table. He crash landed, sending food and dishes flying all over the girls on the opposite side of the table. Confused panic prompted everyone to leap up, Ginny tripping over Luna's foot. She flailed her arms wildly, grabbing on to the other two girls, successfully bringing them all down in a heap of limbs.

A chorus of screeches and "bloody hell" were punctuated by Mrs. Weasley screeching for her husband, seated right next to her, seemingly frozen in shock. Far more proactive, the Weasley boys and Harry hurried to the girls; Fred and George actually vaulting over the table at the sound of someone's pained whimper. There was a rush of confusion as they got in one another's way trying to detangle the fallen girls and help them up.

"Is anyone hurt?" Arthur finally moved into action and spoke over the group as they all tried to talk at once. "Let's settle everyone away from the broken dishes first," he directed this at Ron, who was trying to dab at the scratch on Luna's wrist on the floor in everyone else's way. With ease the twins lifted Ginny and Hermione off the floor, neither missing as Hermione tried to hide a wince. Harry quickly pushed the remaining dishes to the side as they deposited the girls on top of the table. Ron hovered slightly as Luna moved around the table and sat in George's vacated seat.

"Bloody useless," George glared at Pig, who was happily nosing around in what stuffing splayed across the table. He grabbed the oblivious owl, barely restrained strangling the damned thing, and removed the letter from its leg. Mrs. Weasley was waving her wand, quickly cleaning up the mess, shaking her head at the ruined meal while Arthur hurried to the bathroom to grab the first aid supplies.

"Sorry guys," Ginny apologized with a sheepish grin. Despite the hubbub, the chaos and potential bruises was worth the attention that Harry was shamelessly showing on her. She couldn't help basking in the attention as he gently ran his hands over her, just firm enough to leave her wishing for more. There was a look in his eyes she would never get sick of seeing. Intense and somewhat dark; the kind of look that made a woman feel safe in a primitive sort of way.

"It wasn't your fault," Luna serenely reassured her as she let Ron dribble wound cleaning potion over the scratch on her arm. It was hardly necessary for such a small scratch, but she tolerated the stinging and slight smoking with ease, giving Ginny a little smile.

"Doesn't look like anyone was terribly hurt," Hermione answered, sounding almost too normal. Ginny glanced out the corner of her eye to check on Hermione. It'd be just like her to pretend to be fine just to hide an injury so no one would worry. Fred was kneeling on the seat before her and began running his fingers gently through her hair; she assumed, that he was checking for any lumps or bumps. She opened her mouth to ask if she really was okay, but couldn't get the words out. Instead, her eyes widened as she watched her best friend and older brother. Hermione was distracted, curiously watching as George read the letter, seemingly oblivious to Fred's ministrations. Fred… she blushed, realizing he was looking at Hermione pretty similar to the way Harry was looking at her. But different. Darker somehow… sort of ravenous.

 _"Interesting…"_

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	4. Chapter Three

"Hey 'Mione, let's go to Diagon Alley this afternoon," Ginny proposed out of thin air. Eager to change into clean clothing, they'd hurried upstairs after the chaos had died down and ensuing mess was cleaned up.

"I don't know…" Hermione hesitated. She hopped a little, wriggling around. These jeans were always just a little too tight and freshly washed like this they were nearly impossible.

"Ah come on 'Mione, it'll be fun. We can go clothes shopping," Luna's voice joined in eagerly.

"We could find you some jeans that don't look like they've been painted on your ass… but that top looks pretty good," Ginny leered at the thin tee-shirt stretched tightly over Hermione's chest.

Hermione looked down and grimaced. She really shouldn't have let Mrs. Weasley take all of her clothes to wash today, but half her clothes were shrunk from her last attempt at a washing charm, and everytime she tried to fix them, they ended up big enough to fit three of her easily. "No… no really, I think I'll just stay here. Maybe catch up on some reading," the indecision hidden from her voice, but clear in her eyes.

" 'Mione you read about a book a day," Ginny scoffed openly. "Come on, where's the harm in going out?"

Hermione sighed, still tugging slightly at her shirt self-consciously. "I've got to watch my spending Gin. With my pay-rate, I can't afford to go out shopping if I'm ever going to move out. I can't stay here forever…"

A loud sob interrupted her, causing all three women to whirl around to see Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway, had clapped over her mouth. All three lurched forward, worried about the increasingly hysterical woman. Much to everyone's surprise, she launched herself at Hermione, catching the smaller witch in a bear hug so tight Hermione's spine audibly cracked.

"Mum?" Ginny popped her head out the door, wondering if perhaps something had happened outside the room.

"I had no idea!" Mrs. Weasley's voice was piercing. "Why didn't you say something? Oh, it's all my fault for not seeing it! I'm so sorry my dear," her voice became tighter, lower with emotion. There was a steadily growing wet spot on Hermione's shirt from the tears falling on it. "Oh Merlin, what kind of mother doesn't even notice her baby isn't happy at home?" Her arms tightened, one hand cupping the back of Hermione's head and forcing her face into her ample bosom. "Is it too crowded now for you here? I know it's been a little packed, especially since the twins moved back in." She pulled Hermione back, looking at her dead in the eye. "What if we renovated a bit? Made you a nice room all of your own?" There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in the suggestion, despite everyone in the room knowing the cost of such a renovation would clean out whatever kind of savings and retirement fund Mrs. Weasley had scrupulously saved.

Hermione stared at her for a moment, lips parted and mind blank as she tried to catch up with the frantic woman. She reached up to try to wipe the woman's tears, but there were too many and she simply ended up spreading them across the woman's ruddy cheeks. Panic welled in her chest, the weight of the woman's tears and offer hitting her hard. "Of course it's not too crowded here," she finally had the sense to respond. Her voice sounded weird to her ears. Like an out of body experience. "I love it here. I get to be near so many people I love so much. You all are family to me..." she trailed off. The words just wouldn't come to her. The depth of the moment too much for her. All she could do was try to push the panic aside and not cry herself. She pulled Mrs. Weasley into another tight hug.

"Well maybe, well maybe… we could try and… and figure something out," Mrs. Weasley finally began to regain her composure, thoughts of being able to take action helping to fortify her. "Oh… I know! How about something special to eat? I can try and make something new. You've said how good French food is…. I saw a book in Flourish and Botts…"

"Merlin no!" Hermione pulled away gaped at the desperate woman. Her throat closing at the thought of her big-hearted second mother going out and buying such an expensive book just for her. "Oh Mrs. Weasley you don't need to do any of that. Please. I love being here with you and everyone else. I love the food and I love getting to share a room with my best girlfriend. I love you, and your incredible cooking. I couldn't be more grateful. Truly." She wrapped her arms around herself and took a slow, deep breath to recenter herself. Compose and control. "I'm sorry, that isn't how I meant what I said earlier at all. It isn't about me wanting to get away. I just…"

"Didn't want to be a burden?" Harry's voice, low and soft, surprised everyone, drawing their attention back to the doorway. "You should know by now that's the last thing anyone here thinks you are," he gently admonished her, walking up to rest his hand at the base of the back of her neck, anchoring her. Somehow, he'd grown to understand her even more than she understood herself at times. He gently wrapped his arms around her and planted a light kiss near her ear. His forehead rested lightly against her temple, his arms tightening as though her knew his strength was all that was holding her together now. "Why don't you girls go into town? Get some air and enjoy some girl time?" He prompted softly in her ear, knowing first hand how unexpected overwhelming unexpected displays of love and affection could be.

Hermione nodded, "yeah, that sounds like fun," her voice muted around the emotion closing her throat. Still feeling like she was witnessing the scene from afar, she reached out and squeezed Mrs. Weasley's matriarch smiled broadly now, and wrapped the two best friends in a big hug.

Mrs. Weasley pushed back Hermione's hair gently, "you girls go have some fun." Hermione nodded.

"Come on Mum, I'll put the kettle on for you before we go," Ginny finally brought the moment to an end. As close as the girls were, she knew that Harry had a natural talent for pulling Hermione out of her own mind and putting her at ease.

"Good idea," Luna smiled, "I think I'll grab a biscuit too. Those little rectangle ones really are too addicting." She followed in Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's footsteps, chattering lightly about various baking attempts. The last thing Harry and Hermione heard was Luna's theory that cooking at twice the temperature would cook the food twice as fast.

"Remind me to never let her cook here," Harry still held Hermione, letting her leech off his strength for a little longer. "She'd probably end up chasing after a gobbledegook and burn the whole place down." Hermione pulled her lips into a small smile she didn't quite feel yet. Harry shifted to pull her into a more proper hug, sighing softly when she rested her head on her chest. "Its okay 'Mione. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. You can say what's on your mind. Make demands. You know there's not a single person here who wouldn't be elated to actually have a chance to do something for you once in a while." He chuckled lightly, "I think the twins still have that paint…"

"No!" Hermione looked up at him, horrified. He laughed outright, shaking his head. She smiled again, this time for real. "I ask for a lot by living here Harry. A temporary place to crash is getting dangerously close to being a permanent home now."

"Oh 'Mione," Harry shook his head. "The Burrow has been a permanent home for us since school."

* * *

Fred and George were on their way out, planning on stopping by their appointment for a few things. They slowed watching Ginny, their Mum, and Luna leave Ginny's room. Their mother's face was flushed like she'd been crying. They exchanged a quick look and moved forward to see what happened when Harry's voice brought them to pause near the door. They peeked in and saw Harry pull Hermione into a tighter hug, both too distracted to notice the twins

"Easy Freddie," George whispered reaching out to grab Fred's wrist and pull him away from the doorway. He could see the tension in his shoulders and jaw as they heard Harry's soft reassurances. They exchanged a quick looks of agreement with what Harry said. _"Guess we'll have to let the whole snogging our sister issue go now,_ " George thought wryly. They couldn't very well go making an enemy of what may turn out to be their biggest ally.

"Come on 'Mione, I'm sure the girls are waiting," Harry's gentle urging signaled that it was time for them to make a quick get away.

* * *

Fred and George leaned against opposite sides of the window sill in their room, watching out the window as the girls made their way off the property to apparate away.

"What now?"

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 _Have patience with my slow progress please! I'm still in the midst of classes, and they take up far more of my time than I'd like_

 ** _Reviews make the pen flow faster..._**


	5. Chapter Four

**AN** : A few notes before we begin. This chapter was more difficult than the past few. It is difficult to take a story written in the past and reshape it. And even harder when you pick up a story rewrite after not adding to it for a period of time. The story is evolving drastically as I write it. Hopefully, the quality of writing and cohesiveness of the plot don't suffer for it. I am working on developing my abilities in character development, as well as adding character flaws and juggling more characters in a single scene. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as well as any questions. They help to inspire me and improve the story's quality. Thank you for your continued patience. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"Looks a little better" George's observation was lackluster. After a safe span of time had passed, and they were sure they wouldn't run into the girls, the twins had resumed their quest to check on the shop. Fred cupped his hands to peer more deeply through the windows. The formerly thick, billowing smoke had finally faded to a wispy pink.

"It'll be weeks still until we can reopen though," Fred sighed. They were able to take mailed in orders and fill them at home, something Mrs. Weasley was blissfully unaware of. So at least their funds weren't taking too big of a hit. Simultaneously, they raised the heads to look at their apartment above the shop. Fred sighed again, "Don't suppose it's much better up there," false hope in his voice.

"Smoke rises mate," George hardly missed a beat in mercilessly slaying that hope. "Do wish we could get some clothing though," he admitted. They'd left in such a rush when their experiment literally blew up in their faces, they only had the clothing and supplies from their emergency go-bags. With only a few changes of clothing available, they'd resigned themselves to wearing old, barely fitting clothes whenever laundry day came along.

"Time to bite the bullet," Fred clapped George on the shoulder, using the muggle phrase they'd heard Harry use in the past. "We can't keep wearing pajamas two sizes too small."

With matching grimaces, they turned from the shop and made their way to the other end of the town to pick up a new wardrobe.

* * *

Hermione gasped and fell into giggles. She struggled in vain to catch her breath, falling to her side on the bench as Ginny and Luna shamelessly modeled matching dresses. Specifically, neon pink, herringbone, fleece lined dressing gowns from a shop boasting the latest Muggle haute couture. Somewhere (Merlin only knows where) Ginny had picked up a massive peacock feathered boa. Now she wore it draped dramatically over her shoulders. She sensually rolled them before flapping one end of the feathered monstrosity with just a touch too much energy, sending a few of the feathers flying. "Oh dear officer," she exclaimed shrilly, her voice a gratingly bad rendition of a southern accent from the U.S. "You mean to tell me my third wealthy… I mean my wealthy third husband has died mysteriously? Goodness me!" She play swooned into what she thought was Luna's waiting arms. Unfortunately, Luna was in the process of tilting a purple, checkered tea hat just so on her head and thus missed the masterful swoon. Instead, Ginny crashed heavily into her, sending the hat flying with the girls quickly following it to the floor, effectively crushing it.

* * *

Fred and George continued down the street, their heads tilted together as they quietly plotted ways to bring back some of the lost revenue with the temporary loss of their storefront. They were mindlessly making their way to the further outskirts of town, toward one of the only local shops that held clothes large enough to fit their tall frames. A sudden _thump_ followed by a set of familiar cackles drew them to a sudden stop outside a popular thrift shop. Wordlessly they stepped closer to peer through the propped open door and watched as Ginny and Luna struggled to untangle themselves.

Seated near the front window Hermione's clear laughter cut through the twin cackling hens, drawing Fred's attention. His smirk faded. His lips unconsciously left parted; his eyes dilated.

Unseen next to him, George noticed the shift in Fred's energy and turned to see what was wrong. The stunned look on Fred's face as he stared at the young brunette made him want to both roll his eyes and thank the Gods the oblivious man was finally catching on. His low laughter joined in the group when Hermione slid from the chair to the floor, hugging her stomach against the rolling giggles. Quickly, three pairs of eyes darted up to him in surprise.

"George!" Ginny grinned up at him and waved a hand for help. Somehow she and Luna had become so entangled it looked like a strange version of the game Twister. He shook his head and crossed his arms leaning against the doorway. He grinned at the dirty look she shot at him as they struggled to disentangle themselves from each other and the hideous material of the gowns overflowing everywhere.

* * *

"You alright there 'Mione?" Fred was suddenly kneeling in front of her. His voice was amused but muted, aimed only for her ears with a strangely hesitant smile playing across his lips. He had appeared so suddenly, and was leaning so close… her laughter faded to a soft giggle and eventually faded away as she took in his sudden appearance. The gentle smile seemed to soften the ever-present mischievous glint in his eye, turning it to a more playful twinkle. But there was something there too. Something unfamiliar. The overall effect was pleasing, leaving her fighting down a sudden blush, though she wasn't quite sure why.

"Of course," she answered softly.

* * *

George watched out of the corner of his eye when Fred drifted from his side over to the laughing witch. He had to admit - the unabashed laughter, with its broad unencumbered smile, suited her. Gave her a sort of glow.

"You should get that dress Gin, the colors work wonders for you," he teased lightly. Ginny tried to flip him off, nearly to her feet when Luna tugged her own hem from under her with just a little too much vigor, nearly pulling her to the ground again.

"Sorry Ginny," Luna smiled easily at the glaring redhead.

George neglected to move from the doorway to help the girls, his attention still on the couple by the window. For all his worries about what to do about Hermione, Fred seemed to be doing just fine through instinct alone. George could easily read the mixture of affection and flirtation on his face, though the couple themselves seemed to be unaware of it. Nonetheless, it was promising to see the little blush on Hermione's face and the way she seemed to mirror him.

* * *

"Fat lot of help you are," Ginny's growl, followed by the tea hat hitting him, broke Fred's unwavering gaze. He whirled around, grasping the offending hat in his fist.

"You're going to pay for that brat," he waved the hat at her as she rolled her eyes. Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The look he'd given her had caught her curiosity, locking them in a shared gaze that had her heart beating just a little too fast for comfort.

"I'm pretty sure he's right," George nodded at the ruined hat, "you break it you buy it." Fred took his cue and lightly tossed the hat back at her.

"Prat," She slunk off to the dressing rooms to change and take the hat up to the register. Her soft grumblings easing his annoyance at having the moment with Hermione ruined. Luna followed close behind her smiling serenely as she offered to pay half the cost.

* * *

Two hands appeared in front of Hermione. She looked up to see both Fred and George waiting. "Thank you," she let them both help her up, shooting them a quick little smile. She hesitated. She wanted to put some space between her and the twins after the unsettling episode earlier. But couldn't find a polite excuse with both her friends still hidden in the changing rooms.

Unfortunately for her, her thoughts projected far too clearly on her face. And George wasn't against using her hesitance against her.

"Have you been Flourish and Bott's yet Hermione?" He asked quickly. "Fred and I were just talking about taking a look for some new reference material," he continued, not giving her a chance to respond, subtlety flying out the window. "Although… we did need to pop into the store for some clothes as well," he stared hard at Fred, hoping he'd catch on. The couple just stared at him like _he_ was the fool. It took a conscious effort to not roll his eyes. "We could divide and conquer Freddie," George really did deserve a medal. _Best Wingman to a Hopeless Idiot._ It'd be a minor miracle if Hermione didn't catch on before him and run for the hills. "Why don't you two head over to the bookstore while I nip on over and pick up a few outfits for us. We can all rendezvous there before going home."

"I should wait for Ginny and Luna," Hermione's response was slow. She was obviously tempted but hesitant. It wasn't hard to see why. Whether she'd realized it or not, she'd angled herself a little closer to him than Fred.

'For the brightest witch her age, she's a little slow,' George couldn't help thinking. She wouldn't have been so tempted if she'd caught on to his plan. If there was any doubt that she'd never been properly kissed before, it was gone now. No one who'd been properly seduced before would have been so thrown off balance with the slightly intimate flirting he'd seen before.

Finally Fred caught on, "They should be out soon. George can take care of them before he goes," he looked at George. George nodded, "Then we can get back early and help Mum with dinner."

George couldn't decide if he should applaud his twin, or smack some sense into him later. Probably both. It wasn't very fair using Hermione's insecurity against her like that. Actually, it was pretty low.

"Great idea," Hermione agreed quickly, however, brightening at the idea. She grabbed her bag intent on hurrying out the door, Fred close behind her.

"We'll talk about the research later," George called after them. The underlying message clear. Fred had messed up, and he wasn't going to let it go.

* * *

 _ **Reviews make the pen flow faster…**_


	6. Chapter Five

"Are you nearly ready?" Luna called to Ginny from outside her changing cubicle. Ginny pulled open the curtain in favor of response, The Dress of Despair draped over her arm with the evil little tea hat perched sadly atop it.

"Thanks," she smiled as Luna took the dress for her and placed it on the rack for store attendants to put back on display later.

"Let's pay and get back to Hermione. She still needs to pick up some pants, and maybe stopping at the bookstore will perk her up a bit."

"For the last time," Ginny half glared, "I'm not letting you pay for this monstrosity."

"I was just as responsible as you were," Luna pointed out.

"Not happening. Come on, we should save Hermione from my brothers," Ginny changed the subject. She was near to the door before realizing that Luna hadn't moved. "What?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not taking your bloody money, Luna. I make more than enough to cover it," Ginny snapped. She quickly realized how rude she sounded and opened her mouth to stumble through an awkward apology.

"No, not that," Luna fluttered a hand, clearly less than concerned by the outburst. "I mean about saving Hermione."

"Why, what'd you see?" Ginny asked immediately for there was no doubt that Luna had seen something. She was far more clever than she let on. And Ginny hadn't forgotten for a moment what she saw during lunch. She returned to Luna's side, eager to hear what she'd missed.

* * *

"May I?" Fred held out a bent arm to Hermione, not meeting her eye as they made their way down the road. He felt the tips of his ears heat and prayed they weren't as red as they felt. _'Real smooth man… nothing seduces a witch faster than acting like her grandfather.'_

"Oh," Hermione all but squeaked as flush covered her face and quickly extended down her neck. Only Harry and her father had ever been gentlemanly enough to offer to casually escort her like that. And she wasn't sure they even counted. "Thank you," she said softly as she slid her arm through his. The shift brought them closer together, leaving her shoulder pressed to his bicep. The blush deepened as she registered the feeling of the muscle flexing against her. He was so tall and lean looking she hadn't expected him to feel so... muscled. ' _I've been spending way too much time with Ginny_ ,' she decided, quickly reining herself feeling like a pervert.

Fred clenched his jaw and bit back a groan as they continued on. Unfortunately, he was completely unaware of the charming blush on his companion's face much less that he was the cause of said blush. His mind was too busy vacillating between innocent enjoyment in having the pretty witch on his arm and cursing himself for offering in the first place. Hermione deserved to be treated properly, like the lady she was. Hearing her confession this morning made the decision for him to show her what she was missing out on before he was even aware it was an option. But damn it chivalry had its price! She was a little taller than the average witch, but she was still easily half a foot shorter than him. Leaving the side her breast pressed deliciously into his arm.

He'd planned to carry on a charmingly witty conversation, flirting outrageously as the impromptu step one in his plan of seduction. There was no more trying to deny it. That was exactly he what he'd begun to plan, despite his protests to George earlier. Perhaps when he'd first heard the girls talking he'd have been satisfied with a good kiss. Maybe even full snog. But not anymore. Her smile and that unrestrained laughter earlier were too intoxicating. He wanted to witness it again; he wanted to be the **cause** of it… and so much more. And he would be. Just as soon as he pulled his mind from all of the other places he wanted to feel her curves pressed against.

* * *

"When you and George were talking…" Luna began. Ginny nodded encouragingly.

"When we were tangled up on the floor."

"And Fred was kneeling by Hermione," Luna reminded her. Ginny nodded again with even more enthusiasm. She remembered thinking there was something intimate about the way he'd gone straight to her and knelt so close. Then George had distracted her and she nearly forgot seeing it. "I couldn't see clearly… his back was in the way. But she was sort of blushing."

"Blushing?" Ginny visibly deflated, her voice falling flat. She'd expected something much juicier than a little blush. "She was laughing her ass off! She was probably red from oxygen deprivation!"

"No it was different," Luna was confident. "The look on her face - in her eyes, it wasn't laughter. It was sort of... flustered looking."

"Like… 'just let one rip' flustered, or' suddenly picturing a naked Hagrid and realizing the half-giants are probably big **everywhere** ' flustered?" Ginny was being largely sarcastic in her question, already dismissing the tidbit as insignificant.

"Naked Hagrid," this time there was no hesitation. "Well actually, like seeing enjoying the naked Hagrid." She apparently wasn't (appropriately) appalled by Ginny's skewed scale, the image of a very hairy naked half-giant. Ginny looked grossed out for a moment as she processed what Luna said. Then a dark, giddy smile spread across her face, once again failing to faze Luna.

* * *

"So what are you researching?" Hermione finally broke the silence. They were moving at a leisurely pace, Fred having shortened his stride to let her keep up with ease.

"Erm…" Fred hesitated for a moment. He jumped on the chance to get time alone with her so quickly, he hadn't fully thought through their thin cover story. His mind whirled, searching for a half-truth he could give her. But his usually sharp mind drew a blank, only able to bring up a singular idea. A very personal one. And it wasn't really the kind of light-hearted topic that'd get her laughing again. Loud chatter broke his concentration, drawing his attention to the rapidly filling street. He tightened his arm and clasped a hand over hers as a gaggle of teenagers came pouring out of Honeydukes and saved him from having to answer for the moment. He used his height to easily lead the way through the crowd, subtly angling his body to protect her from the mob-like group.

" **OH MY GOD PENNY! LOOK! THERE'S JOHNNY!** " The shrill screech of one of the teens next to them made both jump and reach for their wands. Fast as lighting Fred had wrapped an arm around the small of her back and pulled her closer. Oblivious to being nearly hexed by the power duo, the teen flung out her arm, nearly hitting Hermione in the face, and pointed through the window of a new Quidditch Equipment store on the across the street.

"Watch it," Fred growled, knocking her hand away.

"Ugh… Excuse you," the teen managed to look at him like Hippogriff shit despite her small stature. The aforementioned Penny stopped short in front of them, further blocking their escape. She bounced on the balls of her feet, craning her neck to look into the window.

"Where? Where?" Penny's excited nasal voice made him cringe.

"Bloody hell!" Fred twisted and grabbed Hermione's hand, and pulled her away to the safety of the far side of the pathway. Once safely away from the masses, he couldn't resist turning to look over into the storefront for himself.

"Is he worth the commotion?" Hermione struggled to keep a straight face. She'd half expected Fred to flip those girls over his shoulder.

"Absolute dreamboat," he deadpanned, eyeing the teen who looked more like a blond ape with acne than a boy. Hermione's giggle sent a shock crackling down his spine. There was only one sound he wanted to hear from her more.

"Come on," Hermione urged, tugging him forward. "Before they launch the next wave of attack."

"Yes ma'am," Fred let himself be pulled along. There was a dopey grin on his face, both from the joke and the fact that she was so caught up in the moment she hadn't realized they were still holding hands. He fought against the urge to thread their fingers together.

"You haven't answered yet," Hermione reminded him as they turned the corner to the street the book store was on.

Fred remained quiet. For a moment he considered playing dumb and asking what the question was to buy himself a moment to think. But no. He wasn't the kind of man to not give his full attention to his woman, and he didn't want her to think otherwise. Just like that morning, the decision had been made before he even realized it was an option. Hermione was the kind of woman a man kept around. And he had every intention to do exactly that. "A new candy line," he finally answered her. He knew he was really putting himself out there now. It went against his own code of conduct… but before he went any further he needed to test something first.

* * *

"Naked **what**?"

The scandalized gasp of horror drew their attention to the doorway of the fitting rooms. George was half in - half out of the entrance, face nearly as red as his hair.

"Did you come to try something on too?" Luna failed to catch the disgust on George's face.

"In the women's fitting room?" Ginny hissed. "Why are you sneaking around here?"

"I wanted to find out what was taking you two so long. Why are you standing here discussing naked professors?" His voice actually cracked at the end before casting a furtive glance over his shoulder. "Come on, get out here."

"Coming," Luna cheerfully obeyed. She and George chose to ignore the blatant eye-roll Ginny aimed at them before following him out.

"We'll wait for you outside," George left no chance for a retort, leading Luna outside and leaving his sister to settle the bill.

"Prat," he heard hissed at his back.

* * *

"I'm nearly afraid to ask," Hermione half-joked as the approached the door, unaware of Fred's turmoil.

"Don't be," he assured he as the opened the door. His hand tightened around hers as they entered; he couldn't stand the thought of separating so soon. Her eyes darted down to their hands, her brows furrowed. "They're more therapeutic," he added quickly to distract her, purposefully raising her curiosity in the hopes that it'd distract her.

"Therapeutic candy," Hermione's voice was tinged with surprise. He relaxed, satisfied as she quickly forgot about their tangled hands and quickly became focused on the idea.

" _If that worked so well, I wonder…_ " his mind wondered, already conjuring other pleasurable ideas about distracting her further.

Despite knowing the road this conversation was about to go down, he couldn't resist teasing her a little. He raised a finger to his lips with a wink and led the way further into the store, away from the people milling around registers and new book displays. "Not here; it's too public," he tested his theory further by finally threading his fingers through hers as he spoke, keeping his voice low enough she had to focus to hear him. He was satisfied when her eyes widened and she nodded eagerly following him, completely unaware to the more intimate grasp her indulged in.

" _Interesting… the Gryffindor Lioness is curious as a cat_ ," he thought, amused. He thought about it another moment. " _No wonder she's so innocent. That mind of hers never stops going does it_?"

* * *

"Why were you two talking about Hagrid's junk?" George's voice was carefully low as he leaned against the wall, pretending to watch the people passing by. Luna leaned next to him, completely at ease.

"We weren't."

George turned to look at her, "I was right there Luna. You literally say "naked Hagrid."" His imitation of her was disturbingly on point.

"Yeah, but we weren't talking about Hagrid naked."

"How can you not be talking about the thing you were talking about?" George was surprisingly calm. The little smile playing on her lips cautioned him to keep his cool. The shop door flew open, interrupting his attempted interrogation.

"Alright, let's go," Ginny nodded at Luna. "What kind of clothes did you need?" She whirled around in a bewildered circle, "'Mione?"

"Probably with Fred," Luna supplied helpfully.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" George interrupted, both wanting an answer and trying, rather poorly, to cover for Fred.

"It's all the same topic," Luna smiled.

* * *

 _So after about a dozen rounds of editing, this turned out twice as long as the original draft._

 **As an important note: the next chapter will discuss mental illness and suicide. Please… if this is an issue for any of you, please don't hesitate to skip it. I will find try and create a summary of the chapter and post it immediately following chapter six instead for you instead.**

 _ **Reviews make the pen flow faster...**_


	7. Chapter Seven

_**Completely unbeta'ed and literally just finished. I'm back from the de** **ad and was too eager to share and keep writing. I hope you all enjoy.**_

* * *

"What topic?" Ginny asked looking between the two.

" _Hagrid!_ " George snapped at her, finally looking ready to blow. Apparently the patience he was willing to afford Luna didn't extend to his baby sister.

"Fred and Hermione," Luna answered at the same time. Her voice was softer but somehow still rose above his.

"Oh, _that_ ," Ginny only half succeeded in fighting down a smirk. A riled up George was much easier to pump for information than a composed one. "Looks like you may have been right Luna," she linked arms with the blonde and began to walk aimlessly down the road, George hot on their heels. They were quickly forced to continue single file by swarms of teens in town for the weekend from Hogwarts

"Ginevrea Weasley answer me right now, or I will shout the topic of your conversation for everyone to hear," George threatened darkly.

"We were just talking about the way Fred seemed to be paying her a lot of attention recently," Luna tried to smooth over in impending argument before it could take place.

Inwardly George winced, realizing he and Fred should have anticipated Luna and Ginny catching on so quickly. Subconsciously, his hand rose to tug at his hair, pulling it down to cover the scar at the side of his head. "Just cause they went off shopping together?" he tried for a casual tone of voice. Two heads swirling to stare at him told him he'd failed pretty miserably. His fingers began to play over the regenerated earlobe. The medics had given him his ear back, but nothing could be done about the raised, dark scar over it. He despised looking in the mirror and seeing it, but for some reason every time he got nervous his hands strayed right to it to ground himself.

"Not just this time," Ginny answered him straight forward. His grounding habits hadn't escaped her notice, and as much as she enjoyed teasing him she inherently knew it as a sign not to push him further. "I saw him staring at her during lunch like she was dessert."

"You did?" Luna sounded delighted. It was impossible to tell if she'd caught on to the silent exchange that passed between the siblings. "When?"

"Whole damn time," George answered wryly, realizing there was no point in denying it.

Ginny stared at him in surprise, "actually I only saw it after Pig landed."

' _Fuck,'_ George thought, his hand strayed back up to tug at the unblemished earlobe centered in the scar.

* * *

There was a moment of silence as they paused near the entrance of the shop, giving Hermione a chance to soak in the atmosphere. She inhaled deeply, the smell of books and sporadic whispered chatter seeping into her and soothing her to the core. A small smile spread across her lips, the books surrounding her making her feel at home. No matter what crap life threw at her, books made the world slow down and let her just _breath_.

Unnoticed next to her Fred openly watched her, silently adding the look of pleasure and peace on her face to the list of things he intended to make happen much more often. Her body visibly relaxed and he found himself what had put that tension there in the first place and why no one seemed to have noticed it before. It seemed almost sacrilegious to break the moment. Gently tightening his hand around hers, her steered her further into the store, leading her to the stairs to the second floor. It was quieter up there and there were little reading nooks they'd be able to talk privately. As they walked he could see her eyes slowly roving over the shelves, undoubtedly taking in every book along the way. Adding to the rapidly growing list, he promised himself that sometime in the near future he'd bring her back here for a proper shopping excursion. Spend the whole damn day trailing after her like a pathetic, lost little puppy letting her pick out every book her heart desired. He'd even help her carry the books as long as it didn't mean letting go of her hand. And at the end of the day he'd pay for it all and hopefully earn himself a kiss.

Lost in his fantasy, Fred failed to notice when they reached the top of the stairs, leaving them standing there like a couple of dumbasses until Hermione gently squeezed his hand, looking up at him with an innocently questioning expression. His heart contracted painfully; fire burned low in his abdomen. Even his cock twitched in interest. He'd never felt such an intense combination before. Damned if he didn't love every bit of it. Fucking masochist.

"Sorry," he shot a charming smile at her, this time not missing the subtle flush that dusted her cheeks. "I think there's a private nook over this way."

* * *

Ginny watched her brother's obvious turmoil and pulled Luna to a full halt letting him catch up to them. She'd just been teasing him before, thinking Fred was just flirting a bit for fun. But now… Fred and George may be prank kings but they never took it this seriously.

"Georgie," she lowered her voice slightly, reaching up to gently pull his hand from the abused ear. He flinched when her fingers brushed the scar. Not deterred, she lightly brushed against it again, willing him to understand. It wasn't something to be ashamed of. It was a sign of his courage. A reminder that he was still alive and how happy they were to have him. Instead his eyes went cold and expressionless as he swatted her hand away.

"What?" He snapped instead, refusing to let her in. She sighed internally.

* * *

They made their way to the far back corner of the shop, finally finding a tiny reading nook against the wall, enclosed by thick bookcases. It was dimly lit and intimately cozy. Fred immediately amended his earlier fantasy to include pulling her back up here for a very thorough snogging. As a matter of fact, he'd even relinquish holding her hand to carry extra books as long as he got her in his lap gasping from his kisses before they left.

' _Later Freddie. Later,"_ he promised himself, refocusing himself on the present. Pushing away his arousal, he made sure to let her sit first like a proper gentleman, checking to make sure that she was comfortable before pulling his own chair closer to hers and sitting as well.

"So," Hermione began without preamble, "what kind of therapeutic candy?"

Fred initially had to hold back a smile at her insistent curiosity. He sobered up pretty quickly though, trying to figure out where to start. There wasn't a doubt in his mind he could trust her. Given what she went through during the war, only an idiot would question if she could be trusted. When it came down to it, he knew she'd even be willing to keep it secret from the rest of the Golden Trio. It was still hard though. It still felt like a deep betrayal against his other half. But in all truth he could really use the help and if there's anyone who could do it, it was her.

"Do you ever have dreams?" He finally started. She opened her mouth to answer, but he cut her off , "Dreams about the war. The kind that leave you covered in sweat, reaching for your wand… that make you question if you're really in the safety of your own bed."

"Yes," she didn't hesitate to respond like he thought she would. Instead she surprised him even further by reaching out and taking his hand once again and squeezing it tight, seeming to understand the touch would help keep him there and present. "Not as often anymore. But they still come, they still haunt me. They haunt all of us I think."

He took a deep, slow breath and pulled his hand from her. There was a moment of satisfaction when he saw her lips tighten in a small frown as she carefully placed her hand primly back in her lap. He'd be willing to wager that she wasn't even aware of if as she clasped her hands together instead, lowering her eyes at the perceived rejection. Thank Merlin she wasn't gifted with Legilimency. He shifted his chair to sit perpendicularly to hers, slightly angled side by side. He reached over and pulled her hand back to sandwich between his own and rested them in his own lap, watching as her eyes lifted back to his own. A small hesitant smile stretched over her lips.

"They used to be more frequent than not," she continued, crossing her free arm over her stomach in a subconscious protective pose against the memories. Fred pretended not to notice. Sometimes it's best to let the story run its course and offer comfort after a person has been given the chance to get it all out at once. "I'd wake up screaming, sometimes falling clear out of bed. It felt like such a weakness to have… I'd cast silencing charms around the room before bed, not wanting anyone else to know. There were so many more important things you know… Harry, Ron and everything. Rebuilding after the war… I have to stay strong for them…" she trailed off, eyes growing distant.

Fred's heart hurt. Not a typical heart ache, but actually hurt. To hear this goddess beside him speak as though her need to heal was a shameful burden that was supposed to take second place to everyone and everything else. Not for a second did he miss her switch to the present tense either. Unbidden, his thumb began drawing small, light circles over her knuckles, "Go on, Angel," his voice low and soft.

"Well.. I forgot to charm the charms one time. I was just so tired and hadn't been sleeping," she shrugged. "Next time I know I'm being shaken awake, my own screams ringing in my ear, wand in hand. If he weren't so fast, I'd have Harry two ways to Sunday and landed him in St. Mundgos. I don't remember anything after that. Just suddenly coming back to myself, sobbing while in his lap, held tight with him whispering everything was okay."

Fred gently raised her hand and kissed the back lightly, completely unnoticed as she reminisced the first of many times Harry held her when it felt like she'd fall into pieces. It was when he went from her best friend to her soul's brother. There wasn't a day she didn't thank whatever God brought him to her. "In the end it became our pattern. Whenever one of us was falling apart, the other was there to hold them together. Until eventually the nightmares began to lessen. When we both felt ready, we decided it was time to finally move on in our lives. New jobs. He started dating Ginny again, I moved out…" She smiled, looking over to meet his eyes as she came out of her trance. His lips twitched in a half smile back.

* * *

"Could it be… Fred's genuinely interested in Hermione?" Luna asked speculatively, hitting the nail square on the head without an ounce of mercy.

George winced and nodded, his brows furrowed. Damn it, he was neatly backed into the corner now. Freddie better appreciate the shit he was about to put himself through. "Yes… I believe he is."

"Really?" Ginny sounded delighted, linking an arm through his, now set on leading the group to a higher end clothing store that just happened to be in the opposite direction of the book store. "I thought that crush ended back in school."

"You knew about that?" George very nearly shouted, staring at Ginny in shock. Luna giggled softly, linking arms with him on the opposite side, and squeezing his bicep. He got the distinct impression that she was trying to warn him to hush and let Ginny babble on a bit. Apparently she'd known too.

"Of course," Ginny sniffed, tossing her hair back. "Why else wouldn't he have had a steady girl? He was always staring at her too. Not like at lunch of course. But he did stare an awful lot at her lips."

"I suppose he wasn't all that subtle," George had to admit. "You may have noticed but there's two people who never did catch on."

"Who?" Luna cocked her head, eyes wide.

"Fred and Hermione," George answered simply. He had to join in when the two girls burst into loud cackles.

"Hermione I'd expect, but Fred?" Luna asked between giggles. "How does someone have a crush and not know they've a crush?"

"Leave it to a Weasely," Ginny snickered. "That's worse than Ron. At least he caught on before his thirties." Once again, they burst into giggles and chuckles at the youngest male's expense.

"Well he's caught on now," George pointed out as they reached Ginny's chosen destination. He slid free of Ginny to open the door for the ladies, and followed them in. Still intent on the conversation, they followed him to the men's section. "I don't think the crush ever truly went away actually."

Ginny began flipping through the racks, running an expert eye over the clothes and tossing chosen items into George's arms. It didn't take long for her to pick out more than several outfits, "So now that he's caught on… is he finally going to do something about it?"

"You aren't against it?" George eyed the clothing in his arms. "What are all these for?"

"Fred obviously. If he's going to pursue Hermione he'd best look his best. I won't have my brother chase after my best friend looking like a frump."

George gaped at her. Guess that answered that question. If he'd known she'd take it so well he'd have recruited her help ages ago. "Of course not," was his intelligent response.

"He could always just go shirtless," Luna suggested, making George drop half the pile with a blush. She grinned shamelessly. "We've seen you all out playing Quidditch. I'm sure she'd appreciate the view."

"Good point," Ginny's voice was approving, deepening George's blush. Did they forget they were talking about his _identical_ twin? "But that should be saved for later don't you think? She's far more likely to take him seriously if he took the time to properly woo and court her. It'd show her he'd serious about her… he is, isn't he?" Ginny turned a sharp stare at George as he carefully picked up the dropped merchandise.

"More than you realize," he answered honestly. Fred hadn't admitted so much to him, but he didn't need to. George had been watching him closely. He couldn't explain it, but he knew that Fred wasn't going to get out of this without falling, and falling hard. And knowing his brother, the damned fool would enjoy every torturous second of it. "He'll treat her like a queen Gin, you know that."

"Yes, he does seem likely to treat her well. He'd be a good balance for her too," Luna agreed with him. "He'll be good to bring some levity and fun to her life. She deserves more smiles and laughs in her life."

"She deserves a hell of a lot more than that," Ginny grumbled, now leading the way to the women's section. George watched in interest as she began pulling out clothing to exam. Even he could see they were fitted to someone much more petite than his little sister. "Don't just stand there gawking, help me out George. You know his tastes better than me."

"Wha.. when… Ginny how the holy fuck do you think Freddie's gonna fit in that," George stuttered, dropping the whole pile in his arms to gesture idiotically at the tiny miniskirt she was currently looking over. Luna tried in vain to smother her laughter as Ginny looked at George in horror. Instead she bent and began picking up the abandoned pile and arranging it neatly in her arms.

"Not for him to wear you dolt!" Ginny snapped, smacking him with the slip of cloth. "Hermione needs some new outfits and I want to pick out some things that'll show off her body for once."

George grabbed the skirt from her hand before she could smack him with it again. It wasn't hard to imagine how it'd look on the younger woman. "Definitely not."

"Why not? She got pretty nice legs," Luna finally got herself under control enough to rejoin the conversation. "I think she'd look fantastic."

"Exactly. Fred wouldn't be able to think straight. No man can court a woman like a gentlemen when all he can think about is finding a dark corner to have his way with her." George flapped the skirt and put it back on the rack.

"Then its perfect." Ginny smiled brightly and grabbed it up again. "She could use a good long ravishing." She continued her way through the rack pulling out more items that would no doubt have Fred frothing at the mouth.

" _Poor bastard."_ George thought, knowing Fred already had a hard enough time controlling himself. _"Lucky Hermione…"_

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 ** _Reviews make the pen flow faster..._**


	8. Chapter 8

"What about when you're awake?" Fred hated prying like this. He wanted to be the person she willing came to and shared such personal things with. But it was a necessity. He needed to know where she stood first. "Have you ever… lost yourself in the memories while awake? Forgotten where you were…" He trailed off, the look on her face frightening him. It was understanding and sad.

"I haven't personally… have you?" she asked softly.

"No but…" he trailed off, turning to stare at the books surrounding them.

"George?" She guessed easily. He nodded, just barely, unable to speak. It felt like a heavy weight had settled somewhere between his heart and throat. It was painful and scary, and for some damn reason made him wish she'd just climb into his lap and… hold him. Nothing sexy. Just to feel her. "How bad is it really?"

For a moment he was confused, thinking he'd spoken his thoughts out loud. "For Georgie you mean? Bad enough… nightmares a few times a week still. Loses himself… I don't know how often. But I catch him at least once a week. It's impossible to tell what sets it off and he wont talk about it." Frustration leaked into his voice at the end, clearly unused to being shut out.

There was a moment of silence as Hermione let Fred compose himself, her mind racing. She already knew that the Wizarding World was fairly behind the Muggles when it came to mental health. She had a sinking suspicion of what Fred was describing, but would have to do some more reading to find out for sure. "So that's why you decided to make the therapeutic candy," she said, just to continue the conversation.

"Not right away," he admitted, still avoiding eye contact. His ears turned red. "I thought it would pass with time you know. He'd heal and find peace. But then…" He stamped a foot making Hermione jump.

"Then what?" She pulled his hand to her, rubbing her free hand over his arm soothingly.

"We had a friend from back in school. Fought beside him. And we never knew," his voice wavered, and Hermione knew there was not a happy ending to this story, "He never let on! He just… gave up. He hung himself six months ago. It was all explained in the note."

Silence hung heavy, Hermione's nose tingling with the tell-tale sign of tears to come. She squeezed his arm. This was not the time to lose herself. Fred needed her right now. She drew together her strength and gathered her self control.

"I made it look like he'd just run off. He didn't have any family left to wonder where he'd gone. And burned the note. I never told anyone the truth of what happened. Not even George," Fred's voice was dull and sad. Hermione's control slipped as a few tears fell.

"Oh Fred," she couldn't find the words. Instead she stood, moved in front of him, and pulled him into her arms in a tight hug.

Fred went easily, sinking gratefully into her, feeling her arms tighten even further around him. _'So much strength from such a small thing.'_ He was shaking, curled into her like a child. She simply bent lower and moved between his legs, allowing for a closer more tight embrace. It didn't occur to either of them that history was repeating itself. Just as Harry held the pieces of her together and helped glue them back together, she was now holding the pieces of him whole. She'd help glue him back together, and when that was through, they'd work together to bring George back to them too.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Ginny had filled both Luna and George's arms with an entire wardrobe worth of new clothes for Hermione and half a wardrobe worth of clothes for Fred. Somewhere along the lines George barely managed to grab a few items for himself and pajamas for them both. He'd had a hell of a time arguing with the girls that Fred would not be sleeping nude anytime soon. He still had to share a room with the man for Merlin's sake. He was beginning to think that after his heart to heart with Freddie he should seriously consider warning him as well. These two were obviously intent on driving him insane. Hell maybe he should warn Hermione too, cause if the girls got their way Fred would have her locked in a room tied to the bed for a damned week by the time this whole thing was over.

"Oh relax George," Ginny correctly guessed his thoughts as they made their way up to the register. "It's not like we'll throw it all at him at once. Hermione's hardly the type to try and seduce a man."

"That's true," he admitted, feeling a little less apprehensive. Hermione wasn't exactly a man-eater, and contrary to popular belief Fred was very much about self-control. Of the two of them, Fred was always the one holding him back from their past mischief, preaching the benefits of delayed gratification.

Without thought, the two quickly split the bill for the cost, only pausing to wave Luna off when she once again tried to help pay. They did, however, let her help carry their numerous bags as the exited the shops with much lighter pockets.

"Should be go find Hermione and Fred now?" Luna asked as they stepped out onto the street.

"No, let's not interrupt them," George shook his head. "We already said we'd meet back at The Burrow anyway."

* * *

After a while Fred's body calmed and stilled, the release of emotion leaving him feeling drained but better than he'd felt in a while. Instead of doing the proper thing and moving away, he shifted forward in his seat and wrapped his arms around her in a vain attempt to pull her closer. He subtly turned his head to inhaled deeply, taking in her sweet scent.

Hermione felt his body slowly still, then relax. When he pulled her in closer she went willingly, taking it as a good sign that he was coming down from the high of that kind of catharsis. Thoughtlessly, she began running her fingers through her hair like she did to sooth Harry during similar times of need. She was almost surprised by how thick it was. She'd figured it would be as fine and soft as it looked, but she hadn't expected it to feel so lush.

Fred was surprised to feel her fingers begin to run through his hair. It felt a hell of a lot better than when he did it himself. Her fingers flexed, scraping her nails over his scalp, unknowingly tugging it lightly. He took another deep breath, this time to keep from moaning out loud. Damn it felt good. The past twenty minutes had taken too much of a toll on him. He could feel his self control slipping. _'Later Freddie,'_ he once again promised himself. He added feeling her pulling him in for a kiss by his hair to the list of things to make happen.

"I can't let that happen to George. I _won't_ ," he pulled back, finally making eye contact with her. The intensity in his eyes raised goosebumps on her skin.

" _We_ won't," She corrected him just as determinedly. "Muggles have lots of theories about mental health. All sorts of things that we can look through to help. What you describe sounds an awful lot like something a lot of soldiers get called PTSD. There's all sorts of treatments they've made that help. I bet we can find a way to build on them to help him."

"Really?" Fred's eyes grew wide making her grin. She sat back down nodding, proud that the muggle world could provide something so significant for him.

"You mean there's an actual name and cure?" He turned in his seat eagerly. "They don't just get locked up in the hospital?"

"Locked up?" Hermione looked at Fred askance.

"That's what would happen to him, Angel. If anyone else found out, the hospital would petition the Ministry and could demand to have him locked in their mental ward."

Hermione was so shocked she missed the use of the pet name yet again. "That's awful! He's not some sort of insane criminal about to go on a rampage!" She looked ready to spit fire. Fred adored it. "Yes, there's a name for it. It stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. There's treatments, but as far as I'm aware no cure just yet. But… they don't have the added benefit of magic like we do. Maybe we can. Even if we can't… we can help make it better."

"Anything. Whatever it takes, even if it isn't a cure. If it gives even a bit of my brother back." Fred's tone left question. He'd go to the end of earth to make it happen. "If we manage this, imagine all the other people in hiding, suffering, we can help."

Hermione nodded eagerly, "exactly," she couldn't keep the eager smile from spreading over her lips. She could hardly wait to get started. Not just for the intellectual stimulus of it, but because the twins had always treated her well, and she really wanted to be able to help make this happen to show her love and appreciation for the family as a whole.

* * *

"Are you it's a good idea to just walk back in the house," Luna asked as they walked from the apparation point toward the Burrow.

"What do you mean," Ginny shifted her bags restlessly.

"Well… wont your mum ask where Fred and Hermione are?" Luna shrugged. "Just seems like something they should get a chance to let it happen without her, you know? Not that she isn't fantastic, just… it seems like Fred would have an awful bit more luck without Mrs. Weasely adding to the pressure."

The two Weasleys stopped short, staring at Luna incredulously. "I didn't mean anything bad by it. She's a lovely lady but don't you think she'd be a little… eager to see them together? I mean after what happened this afternoon she obviously thinks of Hermione as her own daughter and…"

"Luna, you daft genius, I can't believe we didn't think of that," Ginny interrupted her, looking around wildly like she expected her mother to come jumping out from behind a bush.

"What happened this afternoon," George asked quickly, ignoring his sister in favour of the perfect chance to get the full story from what they saw earlier. Ginny eyed him from the corner of her eye, obviously trying to decide if she was willing to share.

"Maybe Fred can help," Luna smiled. Obviously Fred had her golden seal of approval, no questions asked.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure he can." George assured them both. Fred always went above and beyond to help him. He didn't make it obvious, but he knew how much he owed to his brother. Somewhere along the lines, Fred had grown into a natural caretaker and protector. It seemed to George he deserved a chance to put those attributes to use openly and proudly for someone who'd be able to shower him in the affection and attention Fred craved and deserved.

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 _ **Reviews make the pen flow faster...**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**This chapter has been half finished on my computer for over a week, but was delayed because I was struggling to decide how to continue the plot. I couldn't seem to get into Hermione and Fred's heads the way I usually do. If you notice it dragging or seeming a little lost, I apologize. Hopefully finishing the chapter and getting a fresh start on the next will help with the writer's block. As a side note - a partial inspiration for this chapter was how I pictured Hermione as a first year. Thank you for your continued support, I hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

This time Fred didn't hesitate to grab her hand back. As far as he was concerned, it belonged in his now. Hermione's eyes darted down to glance at their hands, seemingly in surprise. It didn't worry him though. Her understanding and eagerness to help had sealed her fate for good. If anything he was more concerned about his self-control. He was an openly affectionate person by nature and all day it'd been a struggle to control his urges. Though that morning's conversation felt like it'd occurred eons ago, he hadn't forgotten it. As much as he looked forward to the freedom to pull her into a **proper** snog anytime, anywhere he pleased, he knew patience vital. He'd root himself in her life and heart first, just as much as she'd become rooted in his. Then he'd get her in his arms, and in his bed. In the meantime, he'd just focus on the here and now.

"Where do we begin?" he swept his free arm out, gesturing to the expanse of books around them. Books were her treasure, and he was looking forward to seeing her joy as she went hunting for her newest piece of it.

" **We** should start back to The Burrow," Hermione smiled, almost softening the blow as she continued, " **I'll** begin sometime after work this week in the muggle library near my parents' place. It'll help to see what psychology and neurology books say about the condition so we know where to focus our efforts."

Fred gaped at her, momentarily at a loss. Divide and conquer was not what he had in mind. So used to taking the solo role of research, Hermione didn't notice his bafflement. She further shocked him by standing suddenly and pulling him to his feet, leading the way out of their private little corner. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised that she thought she could brush him off so easily, or by the fact that he hadn't expected her to continue their hand hold so easily. They'd reached midway down the stairs before his brain finally caught up. _"Like hell she's taking this on by herself,"_ he thought crossly. _"Fuck that. We're putting learn to let Fred do the heavy lifting at the top of the damned list."_

He took advantage of his longer legs and dropped a few steps lower than her, swinging around to leave them eye to eye. "Hell no," he snapped; her eyes widened before shifting away from his. He barely resisted the urge to snap at her again for shying away from him. Instead, he took a deep, calming breath, "I'm not letting you do all that work by yourself. That's not how a team works."

 _"That's not how a relationship works, silly witch,"_ was what he really wanted to say. But he held back. He was a firm believer in the power of show, don't tell. So he'd just have to show her he was more than happy to have her lean on him instead.

"It makes more sense to let me do it Fred. I'm already more familiar with the subjects. Besides, you said this is top secret. If we go together, everyone will start asking why we're going out just the two of us," Hermione finally met his eye, apparently proud of her piece of logic. She faltered when he didn't immediately agree with her the way she expected. If anything, his cold glare grew even more icy. "I'm not saying you wouldn't understand the material," she quickly added, completely misunderstanding his rising ire, "just that being already familiar with it would give me a head start."

"No." Emphatic and harsh, it was the only most Fred could say without risking outright yelling at her. It royally pissed him off that the sight of the two of them going out alone together would send everyone into a frenzy. But that wasn't her fault. "We'll just have to come up with excuses to go out alone and meet up," the plan grated on his nerves, but at least he'd get his way in the end.

Hermione couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something big in their disagreement. Silence hung heavy, extending the moment uncomfortably as the couple stared each other down. She furrowed her brow, biting her lip as she thought over the strange demand. _"I'd feel the same way if it was to help Harry,"_ she finally concluded, brushing his temperamental display off as a cast off of the stress released from their earlier conversation. "We'll just have to come up with an excuse for us to be together so often… I don't want to hide and lie anymore than we must."

Fred grinned, ridiculously pleased that she had no desire to hide the time they'd be spending together. It was a step in the right direction at least. Properly placated, he gently tugged her hand, prompting her to continue their way down the stairs, watching her from the corner of his eye. She was still biting that tempting lip, though this time the look on her face a more peaceful, contemplative one.

* * *

Ginny didn't respond. Instead, she turned heel and marched off in the opposite direction of home, knowing George and Luna would follow her. She eventually led them off the path further away from the house to the outer edges of the property. Without much conversation, they picked out a lightly shaded area and transfigured some of the rocks and twigs into cushions to sit on. "We can hang out here for a bit and pretend to run into Fred and Hermione when they come back," Ginny nodded, proud of her scheme. George nodded in approval as Luna pulled out her wand to cast a spell to alert them when the couple arrived on the property. It'd probably be too much of a hassle to sneak in the house or make up a story about why the groups split anyway. The weather was uncommonly beautiful for this time of year and there was no reason to fight the inevitable. Taking advantage of the extra time, he dug back into the question at hand.

"What happened this afternoon? Does it have to do with why she was crying earlier?" George didn't bother pretending they hadn't witnessed the end of the scene earlier. Everything was out in the open now anyway. May as well get all the info he could now so he knew what he was yelling at Fred for later.

"She was upset that Hermione isn't happy living here," Luna at least knew how to answer a direct question without beating around the bush. Ginny shot her a look at her from the corner of her eye. Obviously she'd been hoping to push George to the edge of his limited patience before answering.

"Since when isn't Hermione happy here?" George's eyes flitted back and forth between the two girls in confusion. He thought back trying to recall if Hermione had ever seemed unhappy at home. He didn't think she ever had… but he couldn't exactly recall seeing her bursting happy all that often either.

"That not it,"Ginny shook her head. "It not about her being unhappy per say... She's just the kind of person who feels uncomfortable relying so much on someone else. So it sort of upsets her to be here for so long and feel like she's just not contributing." She shrugged, obviously not agreeing with their friend's self assessment.

George nodded. He could understand why his mother would react the way she did to such a misunderstanding. It a funny way, the two women's personalities clashed in the best of ways. Mum thrived on taking care of people. She was the kind of person who loved nothing more than being a mother and taking care of her kids. It went without saying that love and nurturing went far beyond her biological children as well. For her, taking care of everyone wasn't a duty, it was a pleasure. It was becoming obvious Hermione was similar but he wouldn't quantify it as being in a good way. More like a compulsion. Take care of everyone else first. Do the most and expect the least in return. The fact that it would make her so uncomfortable to be reliant on others like this… somehow it rang of insecurity to him. He had an increasingly sinking feeling about what'd transpired throughout the afternoon.

"And what about when you guys left the room?" He had to ask.

"What about it?"

"Her and Harry…" he trailed off. He wanted to know, but felt it wouldn't be right to broadcast the tender, private moment. Fortunately, the girls seemed well aware of the relationship between the two, saving him from trying to explain.

"Harry's the only one who understands," Luna explained.

"No, that's not it," Ginny corrected her. "Harry isn't the only one who understands, but he's the only one she's let in far enough to actually be there for her. After the war… it was like they both shut off a part of themselves to everyone but each other. It was hard… knowing he loved me, but went to her instead. At least now, he knows he has me to go to. But Hermione… she still doesn't have anyone that'll give her that love to heal. Harry is her soul's brother. But she needs a soul **mate**."

George ran his fingers over his ear, carefully avoiding the scar that surrounded it. He could understand what Ginny was trying to express far more than she realized. Family loves and supports you unconditionally. They're always matter how much he struggled he knew he was lucky. He had Fred. Hermione's family would never truly understand what she'd been through. The Weasley's tried to fill that gap best they could. But if he was right about her deep-set insecurity, he could see where finding the right partner would go a long way to helping change things for the better. She didn't need someone to complete her; she was more than enough just as she was. She just needed someone to show her that. To help bring out all the best and kick the rest to the curb.

"Do you really think he can do it? This isn't some half-ass game. Someone's gotta put her first for once," Ginny easily read his thoughts on his face.

"Dumb-ass has been in love with her for what… a decade? If anyone can do it, it's Freddie."

"If he fucks up…"

"You'll be first in line to kick his ass."

"Second actually. Provided Harry hasn't hexed it off already," she grinned darkly. There was a long line of people who'd kick Fred's ass if he hurt Hermione. George had to admit, he'd probably somewhere on that list too.

"That seems sort of lopsided though," Luna startled them both. For a moment, they'd forgotten she was there. "What would Fred get out if it all? You guys say this is supposed to be a for-keeps thing. Would he be happy in a relationship where he doesn't stand anything to gain like that?"

George winced as Ginny's arm shot out to smack Luna's roughly. "He gets **her** you…"

"I doubt Hermione's the type to be happy just taking like that," George quickly cut her off. "Like you guys just said, she's not comfortable unless she's giving far more than she receives. That's the beauty of it." The girls stopped their impending wrestling match to stare at him in obvious anticipation. He shrugged, "He likes spoiling his women rotten. She'll have to learn to just enjoy it." He looked away for a moment, recalling just how well Fred had treated the women his life in the past despite still holding a flame for the little bookworm. Judging from the loud moans and little screams that occasionally kept him up at night, it was safe to assume he treated them just as well behind closed doors as well. For a moment, the conversation that started this whole thing flashed in his mind. Hermione was about to go from planning each moan like a chess move to having them wrenched mercilessly from her lips. Once again, he wondered if someone should warn the poor girl.

Mischievous grins met him when he looked back up. Apparently he didn't have as good of a poker face as he thought. Nonetheless, he couldn't resist grinning back. "Let's just hope they remember to use silencing spells."

"Then we're just left with one question," Luna once again spoke up as the voice of reason between the giggles and chuckles. "Are we sure she's actually attracted to him?"

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 ** _Reviews make the pen flow faster..._**


	10. Chapter Ten

"Ah, there you are Ms. Granger," a dry, soft voice drew the couple from their private little world as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Simultaneously, they looked over and saw one of the managers of the book store staring at them expectantly. He was an odd looking, stooped old man who's gaze seemed to be glued on their clasped hands. Fred was immediately unimpressed, sweeping his eyes coldly to take in the old geezers half hunched posture and heavy, ridiculously frilled old black cloak. Vaguely, he heard Hermione greet the man respectfully as she tried to subtly pull her hand away, quickly cementing his dislike for the man. "I had thought I saw you come in early and wondered where you'd wandered off to. It's not like you to hide among the stacks without a saying hello," the man finally raised his beady black eyes from their clasped hands to meet Fred's growing glare head on. His tangled, wild brows fell heavily, nearly obscuring his eyes completely as he watched Fred tighten his hand and pull Hermione closer to his side possessively.

"You're right, I'm so sorry Mr. Grimes," Hermione flushed prettily as she was pulled against Fred, the side of her breast now pressed against his arm. She swallowed hard, stubbornly forcing her mind to focus more on the elder and less on the toned muscle she could feel clearly through her shirt and thin bra. Fred fought off a chuckle, seeing her struggle, and intentionally flex more. She turned even redder, feeling the muscles ripple and chastised herself for mentally molesting the seemingly innocent man next to her.

"I'm afraid it's my fault for… **distracting** her," Fred subtly emphasized, smirking not so innocently. Given how reactive she was, his little witch wasn't nearly as unaware of him as he previously thought. The new discovery nearly pleased him enough to let the badgering old man off the hook for the judgmental way he'd looked at him. Though not quite enough to leave the matter alone entirely. "If you'll excuse us, we have plans for dinner."

"Not to worry my dear," the old man disregarded Fred entirely, focusing instead on Hermione with a smile. It irked Fred to no end to see his teeth were perfectly straight and white. For a moment, he wondered how heavy of a book he'd have to throw at the man to make the smile as ugly as the rest of him. "I just wanted to let you know that there will be a new book from Mr. Briggs coming out in about a month. I've already taken the liberty of putting in a pre-order for you," Mr. Grimes' perfect smile grew even wider, obviously proud of himself.

"Oh! Oh thank you! Leave it to you to remember she's my favorite" Hermione bounced excitedly, too distracted by the prospect of the new book to realize her bouncing only succeeded in pressing her breasts further into Fred's arm, providing both men with a tantalizing show. "Shall I pay now or would you prefer I waited until the book arrived?"

"Whichever works best for you my dear."

 _'Old fucker is lucky I don't hex his bollocks off right now,'_ Fred gritted his teeth, wondering just how angry Hermione would be if he did throw a hex at the man. Maybe he could time it just right. Throw the book at the fuckers head and the hex when everyone's distracted. In the end, he knew it wasn't worth having her any degree of angry with him - a pissed off woman was not a woman easily seduced. "Brilliant, you can send it to The Burrow. I'll send along payment and make sure she gets it," he couldn't resist. It was fairly obvious Hermione didn't notice the old man's old school flirtations, and he doubted she'd be interested regardless, but that didn't do anything to curb his possessive instincts.

"Don't be ridiculous Fred, it'll just take a moment for me to pay now," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Besides, you're flat maybe cleared out and ready by then."

The old man chuckled openly, ignoring Fred's sour look. Completely oblivious, Hermione had managed to obliterate his pretty attempts to mark her as his. Nonetheless, Fred went along peacefully as they followed Mr. Grimes to the register. The book was quickly rung up, but Fred refused to release Hermione's hand when she tried to pull away to retrieve the necessary cash. Instead he reached into his own pocket and handed over the payment, brushing off her protests. "Shush and let me spoil you a little," he grumbled too quietly for her to hear. From the way Mr. Grimes' eyebrows shot up, he'd heard perfectly clearly though.

"Don't argue with the young man my dear," he admonished her affectionately, acknowledging Fred for the first time. "My Gertie used to be the same way. It's much more fun to surprise her with little treats when she doesn't argue over them with me."

"How is Mrs. Grimes doing?" Hermione flushed slightly at the implied comparison and quickly changed the subject. For the first time Fred noticed the rather large, sparkling wedding ring on the Mr. Grimes finger.

 _'You stupid wanker,'_ he winced realizing he'd be feuding with an evidently very happily married man over the completely oblivious witch.

"Doing quite well. She was actually the one who reminded me the book was coming out and to put in an order for you," amusement radiated off Mr. Grimes. He grinned at Fred this time, knowing Fred had only just realized the older man wasn't competition after all.

"Please thank her for me," Hermione smiled freely, "I've been looking forward to Patrica's new book for ages."

* * *

Silence reigned supreme for a moment as George and Ginny stared at Luna. They undoubtedly wanted to snap. Shout something along the lines of what fool wouldn't find their brother attractive. But unfortunately, they saw the logic of her question.

"Well," Ginny finally ventured. "She did like Ron for a bit didn't she? So… it can't be that far of a stretch for her to like Fred."

"Unless dating Fred would be too weird after having dated Ron?" George questioned, unsure how the female mind would work in this case.

"No," Ginny shook her head, "they were very compatible. Intimately."

George flushed at her explanation, not wanting to picture the two of them intimate. He wasn't sure if he'd be sharing that bit of information with Fred. Not because Fred was likely to be turned off by the tidbit. But because, knowing his twin, he'd take that as even more reason to go all out in his pursuit of her, and he really didn't want to add to the risk of walking in on the two later on. Fred wasn't exactly the type to let venue stop him when the mood hit.

"She went out with Krum too though," Luna leaned back thoughtfully. "At the least she was very attracted to him."

"But that doesn't rule Freddie out," George felt the need to defend Fred. "He's not as bulky as Krum but he's no slouch. And their personalities mesh much better than hers and Ron's."

"He's her best friend!"

"Best friend is different from a lover Gin." George pointed out the obvious. For a moment he questioned if he wanted to have this conversation with his little sister. Thankfully Luna rescued him from the impending psychological horror.

"He's right. Best friend and lover are two different things. In the best of cases, lovers become an intimate best friend. Just like in the best of cases best friend become akin to family. I have to agree with George… Fred is a much better fit for Hermione in that sense. His playful nature will balance out her serious one and bring her out of her shell. She'll be a grounding force for him. They're both smart, leaders and very driven professionally… as long as she hasn't placed him too far into the friend zone to be able to move into the lover zone like she did with Ron, it should work rather nicely."

"... I keep forgetting you were in Ravenclaw," Ginny deadpanned. Luna grinned, taking the comment as the compliment it was.

"That may be hard," George copied Luna, laying back to get comfortable. "Fred doesn't usually waste time going after birds he likes, but he wasn't in love with any of them."

"You think he's too afraid to make a move?" Ginny rested her head on her knees, finding the concept a pretty strange one. The twins were always the impulsive ones in the family, going after they wanted full force.

"I think he's afraid of pushing too far too quickly," George corrected her. She nodded - that sounded like a much more likely scenario. "You saw how he was looking at her before Gin. I think if it were up to him, they'd skip dinner and he'd have her to eat instead," he ignored Luna's delighted gasp, and Ginny's gagging. "But I don't think he wants a relationship based purely on sex. He'd more likely to take forever trying to seduce her into love with him first."

"Ginny and I will have to talk to her later," Luna mused after a few moments of silence stretched between the trio. "If she's as attracted to him as her blushing hinted, then you'll have to encourage him to speed up the process a bit. Seduce her physically faster and take his time with the romance. She may be more likely to fall for him with her guard down if there's already intimacy between them."

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